Saturday, September 8, 2012

If you need to go shopping, run out quick -- A tornado watch is in effect for Brooklyn, Queens and the entire New York City area. The National Weather Service warns that thunderstorms are expected this afternoon with heavy rains and possibly damaging wind gusts, mainly later today and early tonight.

UPDATE:Con Ed reports that roughly 200 residents have lost power in scattered outages across Brooklyn and Queens as of 1:45 p.m.

An earlier tornado watch issued this morning has expired. Firefighters are responding to reports of a possible tornado strike in Breezy Point, Queens.

UPDATE: Below is a video by Roy Currlin confirming that yes, it was a tornado. The video starts with what looks like a gray cloud over the water. At about the two-minute point you can see the funnel. At the two-minute and thirty-second point you can see pieces of the Breezy Point Surf Club getting ripped to shreds.